It’s Clunky But It Works: World’s First Legit Hover Board

It’s not quite as slick as what Marty McFly was riding on BTTF II, but it’s as close as we’re going to get in 2015. A Romanian company has announced the ArcaBoard, an actual working hover board that we believe is real mostly because of how shitty its specs are. First off, it’s as big as a small mattress, weighing in at a portly 82 kg (180 lb) and measuring 145 x 76 x 15 cm (57 x 30 x 6 inches). Then, it only works 6 minutes at a time, going to a top speed of 20 km/h (12.5 mph) with a range of just over 1 mile. Then, it takes 6 hours to recharge (unless you pay an extra $4,500 for a 36 minute fast charger). Finally, it costs $19,900! All that being said, it does hover the way you’d imagine, going over sand, rocks, even water. 36 high-power electric ducted fans create up to 272 horsepower and 430 lb (195 kg) of thrust, and the device is steered either with your body or “via a Bluetooth-connected iOS or Android app that activates a stabilization system and relays navigation commands via hand movements.”

OhGizmo! is a frequently updated blog that focuses on covering items that will appeal to a very specific and often very passionate audience: the geek. Aside from the fare of innovative consumer electronic products, the reader can expect to find news about geek culture, absurd inventions, awe inspiring technology, and an ever growing assortment of articles that we like to think fit within our view of what we’re calling the Geek Lifestyle.